Everybody Wants to Rule the World
by Rose Evanescent
Summary: Obsessed with gaining power he believes is rightfully his, Hans kidnaps Queen Elsa as his hostage on the sea. Little does he know, The Ice Queen is stronger than he thought. Even more surprising are the things Elsa and Hans have in common. Together, they set off, each with their distinct powers of ice and fire, to rule a new kingdom...and eventually the world.
1. Burning Bridges

HANS

Wood cracked against the side of Hans' head as he was tossed into the cage on lower deck of the ship back to the Southern Isles. His green eyes snapped to the forms of Anna and Kristoff, hazy and dark against the bright-blue, midday sky. Lithe and graceful, Elsa's slender form stepped into his vision. For a moment, her face seemed to block out the sun.

"Nothing_ personal_," Elsa had murmured, just low enough for Hans to hear – her eyes glowed an icy blue. It took all strength in his body not to lose control. Hans just grit his teeth, practiced, forced himself to look pitiful, and watched them waltz away. Spit from one of the guards caught him on his cheek, but Hans just sat. Sat and waited.

That was Hans' life. It seemed to follow that certain pattern of sitting and waiting.

Waiting.

_Waiting. _

Soon the sun trailed lower in the sky, and Hans felt a faint scraping in his stomach. Thankfully, he could ignore hunger quite well. He focused instead on the many blessings the _fools_ of Arendelle had bestowed upon him. Gloves on his hands, wrists free of manacles, a sizeable cell. Most of all, Hans rejoiced in the superstition of the sea captain that they could not leave the fjord until sunrise. The deaths of Anna and Elsa's parents on the sea occurred in the dark of night, spooking sailors of night storms. This sad tradition brought the shade of a smile to the edges of Hans' lips.

Common men were frightened of storms. _Hans_ was no common man.

Finally, as the sun brimmed the horizon with color, lighting up the sky with blazing golds, pinks, reds, and purples, the guards got lazy. They held the false belief Hans was fastened in his cage, like some daft animal. Slapping each others' backs, the men of the ship went into the city, to an inn; they were to drink and eat a good hearty supper before the long trip to the Southern Isles. Hans calculated silently they would stay in the inn's lodgings for the night, as fluffy featherbeds were preferable to the wooden cots of the ship. Before they left, Hans feigned sleep to secure the belief he was nothing more than a scrap of harmless cargo.

Suckers, all of them. They would sleep well, alright.

Salt water slopped lazily against the side of the boat as Hans sat up on the bench in his cage, the memory of those icy blue eyes burning through his brain into the dusk sky above. Night drew its black covers across the heavens, spattering the velvety blackness with stars. Hans felt the shadows stretch their inky lengths across it all, and smirked as his face dissolved into the blackness. It was time.

Pulling off his gloves carefully, Hans exhaled in relief. Too long he'd kept it under control, hid it from view. Now he knew what he wanted – those icy blue eyes. So he would have them.

Snapping his thumb and middle finger together, Hans watched the spark start and ignite his whole hand on fire. Flames licked and played against his skin but did not harm him. Chuckling, he played with the tongues of fire between his fingers. The Southern Isles were not his kingdom. Neither was Arendelle. But he'd found someone here vital to his quest. He needed her. Soon, Hans would have her. This piece to his puzzle would be one step closer to ultimate control.

Bringing his fiery palm underneath the lock to his cage, Hans watched the metal melt away. The door swung open on rusty hinges. Too easy.

Standing and walking out silently onto the deck, Hans eyed the harbor full of ships. He clutched his fist, extinguishing the fire with ease, and looked up to the city, where candle lights were being snuffed out in every window. Arendelle would sleep peacefully tonight.

Hans' green eyes moved up to the castle. In Anna and Elsa's absence, Hans had studied every corner of the place, memorized each room and entryway. Life's shortcomings hit him hard, but Hans' attention to detail would make up for all that tonight.

Hans had one night to do it.

After a breath, he disappeared into the shadows to the castle.

ELSA

Homecomings were sweet to Elsa. After a night of dancing, singing, and ice-skating in the courtyard Elsa herself had transformed into an icy pond, the citizens of Arendelle were invited to the return feast in the grand Banquet Hall. Fat sausages sizzled over fires with garlic and pepper, and venison crusted in herbs was brought out on huge silver platters. There were sweetgrass salads and trout, fresh from the river, with flaky white flesh. Mashed potatoes and fresh-baked bread accompanied the meal, along with iced cinnamon rolls and lemon cakes. Olaf made a brief cameo in the feast to steal away a plate of cookies. Truly, Elsa had never seen anyone eat so much as Anna until Kristoff came along. He ate like a pig. But she liked him anyways.

After the feast, all the citizens went home, their bellies full and spirits content. Anna urged all the people to take as many scraps as they desired to help the servants clean out the banquet hall. Elsa retired to the parlor of the castle, laying out on the chaise lounge to ease her aching temples. All this celebration was a welcome note to her desolate situation, but still the sounds and light plagued her. Adjusting back to life as a leader would be hard. Ringing for a servant, Elsa told her Anna and Kristoff were required to meet her in the parlor soon as possible and called for hot drinks.

It was Anna who first arrived.

"Wow! Elsa, that feast was out of this world!" her sister giggled, bursting in the room, her ginger hair mussed and half-out of its braid. "I don't think I could ever eat another bite! Why thank you, Dorothy, I think I will take a hot apple cider!" Sipping her beverage, Anna seemed to settle a bit and sat next to Elsa. "I'm so proud of you, Elsa. For everything. I'm so glad you're back."

Elsa accepted Anna's words and gave her a gentle hug. "Let's not talk about all that now, alright, Anna? I – I just have a little headache, and I need to discuss the future with the two of you. It's very important."

Kristoff entered, leaving his mud-clotted boots outside the room so as not to track filth onto the floor. "Sorry! Just got Sven all situated in the royal stables. Man, it is nice here! He got to eat all the carrots he could dream of." Accepting a hot chocolate from Dorothy, Kristoff sat in a chair across from Elsa and Anna. He slurped at a few stray marshmallows. Handing Elsa her brew of hot mint tea, Dorothy exited the room and shut the door, opening the conversation.

"I need a successor," blurted Elsa, tiredness failing to blur the edges of urgency with which she spoke.

Anna sputtered in her hot cider, nearly burning her tongue. "What?! Elsa, please don't - "

"Don't baby me, Anna," Elsa said, slower, more manner-of-factly. "This whole…ride we've been on has reminded me of my responsibility to this kingdom. It has also shown me how easily this kingdom can fall into the hands of a villain. We need security for the citizens of Arendelle."

"Your _Highness_," Kristoff began.

"Understand I am doing this as a precaution," Elsa went on. "Mother and Father knew the importance of this kingdom. Anna, you and I have a duty to the people of Arendelle. If I ever…_do_ anything again, someone must rule in my place and take care of them. Anna, you must be my successor."

Shaking her head, Anna countered, "Elsa, you just got _back_! Can't you go one day without worrying like this? Just relax a day or two before…"

Elsa put ice in her voice. "Do not argue with me. I make you successor to the throne. If ever I am absent, you will rule for me."

"Your Highness, how do I fit into this?" Kristoff asked.

"You are here to witness my passing of succession. Also, I know you, Kristoff, have a fair level head. Anna possesses the kindness and amiability I never knew, and you have the judgment of a king. You will be a Councilor to her. Between the two of you, you will learn how to rule a kingdom."

It seemed like Elsa had sucked the merriment out of the evening to Anna, so it reasonably irked her. "Elsa, is all you ever think about succession and responsibility and dreary things like work? You _never_ have a bit of fun in you!"

"You would not either if you had to begin ruling a kingdom at the age of eight and ten, Anna!" barked Elsa suddenly, her eyes flaring sapphire. "You were never cursed from birth as I was, never rejected and hunted as a monster! I have an obligation to Mother and Father that I would take care of the kingdom they gave me. I will fulfill this obligation. My hard work is what allows you to run and play, and allows the citizens of Arendelle to live full, happy lives. One day you'll understand the weight of what I feel."

During Elsa's rant, the room waxed cold, but as she finished, the warmth from the fireplace filled the habitation once again. Awkwardly, Kristoff stirred his hot chocolate, clinking his spoon against the cup. Elsa, looking down, saw she had frozen over the surface of her hot mint tea, and her heart sunk.

Softly, an arm wrapped around Elsa's narrow shoulders. "I'm sorry, sister," Anna whispered. "I will obey you as you wish. Hopefully that day when I succeed you will not come soon, but when it does…Kristoff and I will be ready."

"Yes, we will, Your Majesty," Kristoff nodded eagerly, giving a comforting grin.

Elsa breathed slowly to gather her thoughts. "So it is settled. It is a weight off my shoulders. Thank you, Anna – and you, Kristoff." The Ice Queen stood, dress shimmering blue and translucent whites. "I will go on to bed now, and I recommend you two do so as well. Anna, you are to stay in your old room – Kristoff, you'll ask the servants to assist you in making your bed in the parlor here. I thank you both for your time…and all you've done."

Without a hiccup of hesitation, Anna embraced Elsa in a crushing bear-hug that heartily surprised the Queen. For once in her life, Elsa wanted to hug back, and so she did, taking in Anna's heady scent of apples and summer. After this, Kristoff bowed and kissed Elsa's hand, and she knew she approved of him as a husband for her sister. There had been something queer about the way Hans spoke to Elsa, but the way Kristoff behaved spoke volumes of honesty and genuine kindness.

Once the two were gone, Elsa went down the hallway into her room and shut the door behind her, absorbing her surroundings once more. Her room was her private sanctuary, the only place she could escape the woes of the real world. Here, Elsa stripped out of her lovely ice dress and set her body free of its confines. In its place, she donned a light white cotton nightgown, patterned with pretty blue ice-flowers. The feel of hardwood secure under her feet soothed Elsa as she undid her braid and let her silver-white hair hang loose about her shoulders.

Finally, the Queen wrapped herself in a dark purple nightrobe for extra comfort and slid into bed under the sheets and then the thick downy quilt. Too much time had passed since the Queen could unwind nearly completely in her own castle, and she thoroughly enjoyed the sensation. She was so tired. The bed made her blissfully sleepy. Smiling quietly, Elsa realized the sheets had been in a lavender-vanilla wash, and it soothed her all the more.

Tossing and turning, Elsa eventually ended up facing the window and watched the ripe full moon to help her get to sleep. She loved how the moon silvered all its light touched, much like how she turned things to ice. Elsa was close now, so close to sleep her eyes closed just long enough for a shadowy figure so open the window and sneak in unnoticed…

Blinding pain shot through the back of Elsa's head, and red stars danced before her eyes before she fell into unconsciousness. Even in her sleep, Elsa felt herself lifted and jostled about, as if someone were taking her somewhere. She wished terribly hard she could open her eyes.

After a while of jostling, the ground fell out from Elsa, and she felt as if she were falling. As wood cracked against her head in the cell, her eyes shot open. There stood Hans, tying the cage door of the ship closed since it seemed the lock melted into a useless clump of metal. A cloth rag pulled against the sides of Elsa's mouth, completely muffling her sudden cries.

Confused and enraged, the Ice Queen willed herself to blast the evil prince, but her powers would not work for some reason. She looked down at her hands. They were bound in replicas of the manacles in the castle, only these just went around her wrists. But they glowed with bright gold glyphs, some sort of magic brand. Attempting to freeze Hans shot a burning agony up Elsa's arms. The Ice Queen was completely helpless.

"Oh, no, no, don't waste your energy trying to _ice_ me, Your Highness," Hans sneered, a scrap of ginger hair falling into his face. "You're mine now. Easy to get, weren't you? Someone's a little…_careless_."

Elsa, stung and terrified, writhed against her bonds, teeth grinding into the cloth gag. She tried to sit up, but her head rung with such a sharp peal of a headache that it forced her back to the floor of the cage. It was just a struggle to breathe.

"You see, Elsa, I _need_ you," Hans explained, pacing the deck in those knee-high, beetle-black boots of his. "And I get what I want. So you'll need to come with me. And first we'll need to escape this little harbor of yours, won't we?"

Her chin quivered with fright and pain. How dearly she wanted to destroy him.

In a flourish, Hans lit the fire of his hands and held the flames close, casting an eerie glow across his handsome face. "In the morning, the citizens of Arendelle will send out a search party for their poor, unfortunate Queen," he mocked. "But how would they do that if their entire fleet of ships was _aflame_?"

Reeling back his arm, Hans conjured up a massive fireball as large as a cargo box and lobbed it in the direction of all the other ships docked in the fjord. Instantly, the huge sails caught flame, lighting up all the ships in the harbor in a blaze of gold. Burning masts fell onto ships next to them, creating a domino effect of flame. Soon all the ships of Arendelle except for Hans' were blazing in the inferno he had created.

Elsa screamed desperately through her gag, pressing her face against the bars of the cage. Hans was burning all the bridges…quite literally. And all those ships meant missing trade and communications for Arendelle. An open port would be useless if they had no ships. Oh, how the people would suffer!

"And if all their ships are on fire, what will the citizens care for a measly little ship that slipped out of the harbor?" Hans chuckled, lugging the anchor on deck with brute strength and cutting the ropes that bound the sails. Instantly, the hot air from the inferno caught the sails and puffed them up like clouds, sending their ship scudding out into the fjord.

The Ice Queen felt a surge of anger grow inside of her and forgot her manacles, meaning to blast Hans with all her power. Pain stabbed her up the arms and to her heart, making her moan with suffering against her gag. She was a mess, hair undone, in her nightgown and nightrobe. No power flowed through her as long as Hans had the key to her manacles.

Wind whipped Hans' ginger hair as he took the steering wheel. "Now you know a taste of what I have felt, Your Majesty," he called into the night. "Enjoy your stay! You might as well make yourself more comfortable. Oh, and one more thing…"

Flaring up flame in his free hand, Hans seemed to work magic over her manacles, and they burned like hellfire into her flesh. Squirming and struggling against her burning bonds, Elsa wailed and threw her head back in the fight, slamming it hard against the bars. This dazed the Queen, and as the fire in her manacles subsided, she slumped forward, weak and limp as a ragdoll. This was too much. She fell into a darker, more complete sleep.

Looking back, Hans could only laugh. "I apologize, Your Highness," he spoke to her unconscious form. The night horizon spread out before him, stars speckling the blackness and spelling freedom in the skies. "Nothing _personal_."


	2. Caged

ANNA

"The harbor's burning!"

A rough hand shaking her awake jolted Anna into a whirling world. Kristoff nearly dragged her down the hallways of the castle, where servants bustled about, saying quick words she could not hear. Walls passed, dark expanses, as Anna tried to pull her nightgown over her gawky form and dispel her morning breath with a rushed yawn. Nothing made sense, not this early, as Kristoff tugged her up the tower steps. Maybe all this was a dream, and she'd wake to find her face nestled into her deep feather pillow…

At the top of the tower, Kristoff burst through the doors and revealed a sight that shocked Anna to the core.

The entire fleet of ships that Arendelle housed was aflame.

As sparks swirled up into the air, they intertwined with the screams of the townspeople. Several masts had cracked free of their ships in the fire and fell onto inns, setting them afire as well and sending citizens scattering like ants. Despite the rising heat of the night, Anna held her nightgown closed and shivered, feeling a coldness set in on her heart.

Large, work-hewn fingers intertwined with hers, and she looked up into Kristoff's eyes quietly. Anna was about to say something when -

Footsteps rattled up the staircase, and Dorothy, the maidservant for the girls, stumbled into the tower room, her face as white as parchment. Trembling fingers clenched the crown of Arendelle.

"Her Majesty…"Dorothy choked, looking as if she'd seen the devil himself. "Her Majesty is _gone_."

This was more than Anna could take. On one exhale, she laughed with all her might. This couldn't possibly be real.

"It appears...someone must've broken into her room…"

Overlooking the harbor, Kristoff noticed a missing space in the ships. "Where is Prince Hans's ship?"

Anna's head spun with realization. "He took Elsa."

"Maybe those men just left yesterday night, Anna, I mean - "

"They didn't. It is tradition. They wouldn't have." Another wave of laughter hit Anna. "And to think I might've married him."

Kristoff scratched the back of his neck with discomfort. "So how are we going to go after her?"

"We can't. We have no ships."

"There's got to be some way," Kristoff snorted, looking more like Sven than ever.

"Then you will be in charge of that. You will be Royal Councilor after all," Anna stated. She walked over to the railing of the tower and tried ever so much to walk like womanly Elsa. No matter what Anna did, though, she still felt like an awkward little child.

Kristoff flexed his hands into fists and out of them again, confused. "What?"

"You heard me." Gazing into the flaming sky, Anna drew her ginger-and-silver-striped hair into a tight bun and felt the cold wind graze over her cheekbones. "You are Councilor, Kristoff. Because now that Elsa is gone, I am Queen of Arendelle."

ELSA

Everything came slowly for Elsa.

It felt as if her head held a thousand suns, and as she sat up, she tried to piece it together. Cotton pulled against her tongue and the corners of her lips, making the edges of her mouth stretch, crack, and bleed in the dry, salty air. The gag made it terribly hard for her to breathe, so Elsa tried to focus on breathing while letting her eyes take in the bright blue sky taking shape outside.

A whinny broke the air. Elsa, drained, thought she was hallucinating until the sound came again, clearer. There was a horse on board.

Now she knew she was not dead. This was a terrible idea of Heaven.

Suddenly, a dark figure appeared and approached her cell. Jade eyes held her on their wavelength as the door to her cage was untied and swayed open. An index finger curled under her chin and a thumb dug into her smooth cheek as a dagger flashed through the cotton and snapped off her gag. Elsa's jaw fell open, and her head felt like a burst melon. Her dry throat prevented her from screaming, so she made no sound, only looked up at her captor icily.

"I thought eating breakfast would be easier for you without a gag in your mouth," Hans sneered, clattering a tin plate in front of her. A roll of brown bread and salted beef served as a breakfast. Hesitantly, Elsa picked up the roll with her manacled hands and took a bite, never dropping her gaze from him. This morning, Hans wore a white dress shirt that exposed most of his chest and tan breeches that dipped low into his knee-high black boots.

Silence muffled the air between them.

"Well," Hans sighed, leaning against the wooden wall and taking a bite of a ripe red apple he held. "A good morning to you too, Princess."

"I am a Queen," Elsa corrected him. She ate the beef in quiet.

"The she-beast speaks, if only for a moment - a rare sight, indeed. We will make queer bed-fellows, Your Majesty."

"I'd prefer not to be your bed-fellow," Elsa replied. Scraping across wood, the tin plate found its place at Hans's boots. "I need to make water."

Hans gestured to the bucket in the corner of the cell. "Do so, then. I'll watch."

"May I have the least bit of privacy?"

"You might try to escape."

"With my piss? You must be joking." When Elsa saw Hans was unmoved, she drew herself to her wobbly feet. "You disgust me."

"Fine. I'll turn about. But I'll be right outside your cell." Elsa squat over the bucket and made her brief release while Hans looked over the blue expanse of water. Once she was done, Elsa's naked foot made a swipe forward and kicked the bucket over, sending her water across the deck. Hans turned, and his smile turned into curdled milk amongst his freckles. He took a few more bites of apple.

"That was hardly ladylike."

"Kidnapping and torturing me was hardly humane."

"True enough. But necessary."

"Why do you have a horse on board?"

"Ah, you must've heard Sitron. He's here to keep me company in case you're less than amiable, which I'm sure you will be. And that stallion's been my one prized possession for years. Surely he'd like to accompany me when I took over my first kingdom."

"Where are you taking me?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"Have we food enough for the journey? I hope you're not such a disappointment at sea as you were on land, Prince Hans."

Hans chewed on that thought while he finished his apple, devouring every last bit of fruit flesh and tossing the core overboard. "We have a sufficient store. If you must know, I am Admiral of Westguard. Despite your halfway-relevant claims that I failed on land, the sea is my woman. She is wanton for me."

Elsa came closer to the door of the cell. "Pity she's the only woman in your life who will ever feel for you so strongly."

Hans inhaled sharply, containing his fury. "You sound like one to talk, Elsa the Ice Princess. There must be parts of you that give off frost as well as your tongue. Now get back in your cell."

"I want to walk about the deck." Elsa raised the pointed chin of her heart-shaped face and looked up into Hans's fierce eyes. It was hard to match his emerald gaze, but something about it excited Elsa."And I am a Queen. Let me do so."

"No."

"Come now, I'd think you'd have more faith in me. And these magical manacles of yours."

Hans struggled for an argument. "I - I - Well you have no…"

Giving him a nod, Elsa pushed past his strong form and out onto deck, walking proudly. The sun warmed her face. Two gulls whirled above in the sky, squawking at each other and wearing white. Across the ocean, there was no land to be seen. It made Elsa's heart drop, yet she came to the sides of the ship and placed her hands on the railing. "You are out to take over a kingdom, aren't you? I'm flattered you should want my help. But ultimately, dear Prince, my answer...is _no_."

In a rush of motion, Elsa fought to wrench off one of her manacles. Her wrists being so small, she slid one of her hands right through. Elsa nearly threw herself over the railing as she blasted as much of the water around the boat as she could with her ice powers and was about to run to blast the other side when Hans tackled her. Pressing his face into the back of her silvery-white hair, the red-headed prince grunted as he tacked her arms behind her back.

"Unhand me!" Elsa squealed, wrestling back against Han's confinements. One of his large hands gripped her waist tightly and pulled her against him. He fought to chain her again.

"Malicious little Princess, don't you know I know your tricks?" Hans growled, forcing her to the ground and rolling Elsa face-down on the deck while he straddled her. The Prince of the Southern Isles busied himself with wrenching her back into her manacles, thin lips pulled into a pout of concentration. "You try to make this ship into an ice floe? Hardly a sound strategy." Swiftly, Hans pulled Elsa to her feet where she wobbled on weak legs before he pushed her back into her cell and tied the door shut. The Queen's icy sneer sent a chill down his spine as she crouched low like an animal.

"I will fight you until I return to Arendelle," she barked, bile rising in the back of her throat. "You will never take me alive."

"I'd much prefer you to come with me alive, Princess."

A globule of spit splattered across Hans's cheekbone. "I am a Queen. You shall address me as such."

"Fine, be Queen of your pisspot." Wiping his cheek, Hans approached the steering wheel of the boat and did not even give Elsa the grace of looking over his shoulder at her. "I have a ship to steer. I'll bring you your supper when you've calmed down a bit."

Biting the inside of her lip till it bled, Elsa tried to breathe deep. "I know how you work, Hans. Don't you try to manipulate me," she called after him. "I came from the same troubles as you. I almost turned into you."

That stopped the Prince in his tracks. His head moved as if to contemplate her words, then he murmured, "My life isn't over. And neither is yours, Your Majesty." Then he went away.

Slumping against the wood of the cell wall, Elsa watched the two white gulls wheel above in their sea dance. How she envied the birds. How light their bones were, how agile and quick they were, and how broad and beautiful their wings were to lift them out of peril. She wished she could be a bird, but Elsa was caged. Ever since birth, she'd been in submission to another.

But maybe Hans was right, in a way. His life wasn't over. And neither was hers.


	3. A Fall From Grace

ELSA

From between the bars of her cell, Elsa watched Sitron prance on deck as the sun set. Though this had been the sight she'd observed for several hours, somehow the captive Queen was fixated. Hans stood in the center of the deck, grasping the lead rope and urging Sitron in a circle around him, advancing him from a walk to a trot to a gallop. Hooves clopping on wood reminded her of days past, when her father would come in from a ride with his men, them all on horseback. The horses' hooves would clop on cobblestone, and the mens' hunting hounds came in, some carrying red foxes in their jaws. But those days were gone.

Now all Elsa knew was her hair was a royal mess, and she felt disgusting after being buffeted by the sea air for a day and a half.

"I need a bath," Elsa called, trying another tactic of necessity.

Stopping the lead rope, Hans brought his cream-colored stallion to his side and wiped the sheen of sweat off his forehead with his shirtsleeve. "Easy, boy, easy. Your Majesty thinks she can get away with another one of her tricks, does she? Well she must think I was born yesterday, doesn't she, boy?"

"Please refrain from addressing the horse when I am speaking to you," Elsa growled. "I am sick to death of males talking to their animal companions."

"Fine. You may not have a bath, and that is final." After leading his horse below deck to the cargo storage, Hans came up again. To Elsa's befuddlement, he stripped off his shirt, revealing his form beneath against the sunset. Were the men of the Southern Isles this chiselled and defined? Hans was no stout ice-cutter, but nor was he a gangly skeleton. Muscles stretched lean and strong across his chest and back, and it took pains for the Queen to avert her eyes,

Elsa's manacles clanked together. "I'm flattered, Prince Hans, but you need not get undressed for me."

Sweat trickling down the side of his face, Hans snorted. "Don't you fret, honeydew. Your ordeal will be over soon. Just need to see where we are, then I'll fix you up a nice dinner." Quick as a monkey, Hans latched onto the rope leading up to the crow's nest, climbing hastily. A curdled grin drew up Elsa's lips - she tried to make herself disgusted, but really could not stop staring at the way he clambered up to the crow's nest, nimble and agile. At the top, Hans stood and pulling a looking glass from where it hung from a loop at his belt. He extended the brass tube and gazed through. "Azure sky, clear as sapphire," Hans sighed, tucking the looking glass into his belt with one hand. "Not one ship in sight, not one hope of - "

In an instant, a gust of wind passed over the ship, and the whole net leading up to the crow's nest swayed dangerously. To Elsa it seemed as if it all happened in slow motion. Hans toppled from the opening in the crow's nest and seemed to hang there in midair before he crashed into the deck with an audible _crunch_.

For a moment, all Elsa could do was stare at Hans' form on the deck. For a moment, delight filled her soul, but it quickly drained away. An eerie fear filled its place. If Hans was dead, how would she ever escape her cell? The Queen pressed up against her bars, breathing lightly.

After an agonizingly long minute, a sound began to issue from Hans. It was a pitiful thing, that sound, like that of a dying animal. The strained cry flowed to Elsa's ears, and she watched him shift, ever so slightly. At least he hasn't landed on his head. Vibrant red stained up his left side, though she couldn't tell where the bleeding was from. Some of his body was obscured from her view.

"Shit," Hans wheezed, his voice growing more and more frantic as he saw his blood. "Shit...shit..._shit_...Oh God…" His face was a blank mask of shock, indicating the pain would come later on.

"Let me help you!" Elsa cried, throwing her arms through the bars of the cage as best she could. "I can help you, Hans!"

Slow to process, Hans looked at her then back at his bloody hands. "Help me? Help me...You need to help me…"

"You need to open my cage!" she exclaimed. "Hans, open my cage and I promise I will help you!"

His breath ran ragged. "You're...you're gonna run away. I know you….will…"

Elsa's ice-blue eyes cut through the space between them. "You are going to die without me. Open the cage, Hans!"

Pain began to fill his face, and Hans shoved himself into enough of an upright position to aim at the rope holding her door shut. Right as he shot a blast of uncontrolled flame at the rope, Elsa threw her hands up next to it. The fire shot right through the confining rope, as well as her manacles, and Elsa sighed with relief as those metal monsters slid from her wrists. She could feel her blood grow icy at her fingertips, and the Queen knew she held the power again.

"Help me!" Hans whimpered, growing fainter every second. "Help...Elsa…"

Remembering her duty, Elsa pushed her raggedy white hair out of her face and shoved the cage door open so it squealed on its hinges. Sitron could be heard from below deck, screaming at the scent of blood. Padding over with her bare feet, Elsa came to stand over Hans and knew instantly she had to take him off the deck, where the wind was kicking up considerably. Frail she seemed from her lack of food and trauma, but Elsa was able to lug Hans up to a standing position and sling his arm over her shoulder. His head swung about loose, like a weight as she dragged him up to the captain's quarters and managed to shut the door behind them.

The captain's quarters were expansive and dark, with diamond-glass windows showing the growing darkness outside. A large elaborate desk took up the back of the quarters, to the left was a large vat and a barrel of fresh water, along with a stock of white, fluffy towels. To the right was the captain's bed, a canopy bed with dark fabric and evidence of Hans flung everywhere about it: his coat, a sword, an extra pair of boots, a stray blanket. A fat tallow candle on the bedside table illuminated the room, along with a lamp that burned whale fat swinging from the wall on the left.

By this time, a substantial amount of firmness had slid out of Hans' body, and he felt heavier as Elsa placed him on the bed and got both his legs up. Elsa's fingers trembled as she conjured up her ice powers, and when she looked down at her hands, a jagged icicle about the length of her forearm rested in her palm. For a moment, the thought crossed her mind of plunging the length of the sharp icicle deep into Hans' chest. This urge came so vividly the Queen could practically feel the fresh lifeblood pulsing hot across her hands.

Drums pounded in her ears before she realized it was her heart speaking. She'd raised the icicle up to striking level when she met Hans' jade eyes. Something in them told her to stop, despite the despicable way she'd been treated. All the arrogance had drained out of him, and he maintained the great feat of staying awake. Hans would watch her kill him, and he was not making a sound. He shivered, like a dying fever dream.

Instantly, Elsa knew she could not kill Hans.

Switching the icicle's position to one of cutting, Elsa bent down over him and sliced open the material of his pants around the calf, where the blood had darkened the fabric. The wound made her cringe. Blood and torn-up flesh occupied the pants leg of his calf, and his bone stuck out, jutting white. Immediately, Elsa stuffed a pillow under his legs carefully, making sure to elevate him. She grabbed a few white towels and opened the barrel, pouring some fresh water into a bucket which she carried over to Hans. Quickly she began to staunch the bleeding after soaking the towels in the cool water. She didn't want infection setting in. Hans twitched a bit, but not seemingly out of pain. He neared unconsciousness, his eyelids fluttering. After pressing the towels around his torn flesh, Elsa moved up the bed to stroke his freckled cheek gently. She shook his shoulder.

"Stay awake, Hans," she said firmly. "Now, it's crucial you stay awake. Look at me...Look at me!"

From its wandering patterns, his green gaze finally landed on her and steadied. His sharp features and hooked nose drew long shadows from the tallow candle. "Elsa." His lips formed her name and breathed out. "Elsa...Elsa...Elsa..."

"You need to stay conscious until I'm sure you're okay. Tell me a story, Hans."

After inhaling, Hans exhaling shakily. "I am the 13th of my brothers. They used to... pretend I didn't exist. It was a game. But...I do have stories of the days they didn't."

After running her thumb down his cheek again, Elsa moved down the bed to work on his leg. "Tell me. And let me know if you feel any pain." Adeptly, Elsa drew enough coldness to her hands to make them feel icy, but not to conjure actual ice. She pressed her hands to the skin around the wound, so as to prevent swelling.

It was as if Hans hadn't felt a thing. "One of my big brothers...Paul...he was always nice to me. He had red hair, just like me, but darker. He taught me how to swim, how to fish, how to tie sailors knots." Hans sucked in air as Elsa soaked up the blood again. It was good he was feeling. "One day...we caught some fish and cooked them up, Spices are a lot hotter in the Southern Isles than in bland Arendelle. We have peppers and spices and citrus fruits that'll burst in your mouth. So delicious...Paul and I decided we'd serve our brother Anders up with an extra spicy filet of fish. Anders hates spices, and he's always mean to everyone...He looks like he's sucking on a lemon. He had to drink iced milk for two days straight before he could talk again!"

Hans laughed, his chuckles catching in his throat as they came out roughly. Elsa went across the room and cupped her hands in the bucket of fresh water. Returning to Hans' side, she put the water to his lips. As he drank, she noticed how hot his lips felt against her tender hands, and it seemed to stir something inside her. "Maybe it's you who needs the iced milk now, Prince Hans."

"Perhaps I do. Perhaps this is all Anders taking out revenge," Hans did not meet her eyes. "He did say I'd never be a king. Are you going to turn the boat around?"

Elsa was caught by the question and did not answer for a moment, padding his calf with towels. "I will think on it."

"Of course you will. It's your home. You want to go home...And you should. I wanted to find a home too, but...nevermind." Hans fell to silence. There was nothing brooding about it, just his loss of effort, of energy, which in Elsa's eyes was quite pathetic.

"I said I'd think on it." Elsa took a look at his leg. "The wound looks better. I'll keep towels on it. We'll set the bone tomorrow. I think it's safe for you to sleep now."

Hans adjusted a bit in the bed as Elsa washed off the dried blood that had splattered up his side. He was drifting off when his voice rasped to her, "You were going to kill me with that icicle."

Elsa was taken aback. "I have no intention of killing you. And I did not kill you then, if your living now is proof enough."

Smiling introspectively, Hans considered that remark. "Perhaps you should have while you had the chance."

Silent, the Queen watched the feverish Hans slip into sleep. She waited till he was lightly snoring to continue icing his leg with her hands. She'd been a fool, a fool, and Elsa knew it. From the instant Hans had fallen from that crow's nest, she should have let him die. He'd tried to kill her, for God's sake, then did succeed on kidnapping her from her defenseless kingdom.

What a chaos this man had created. But he was a man nonetheless. And that meant compassion on Elsa's part. Hans was a human in need, and Elsa felt quite the gullible savior. Maybe she had made a mistake after all, letting him live. Hans could kill her at first light, or sooner.

But where _was_ Prince Hans taking her?

What kingdom did he have in mind to conquer? Where would their pit stops be along the way? Though memories of Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven brought warmth to her heart, as a good cup of mint tea would, the idea of adventure, of power and freedom and no cage barring her in, excited Elsa and burned in the pit of her stomach, as sips of spiced hot toddy would.

There was a world outside of Arendelle. And Elsa had a choice to either turn back and rule her kingdom as a good queen would, or she could pull back the curtain to this mad, treasure-filled world and act her part on its chaotic stage.

Elsa contemplated what was good and bad, responsible and dishonorable, dull and sly, enslaving and freeing. Her cornflower-blue eyes traced over Hans' sleeping figure and drew breaths from him, as if he was life itself. This despicable villain could be cut down like a crook, or he could be used for so much more…

Keeping one hand on Hans' leg and putting the other in Hans' fingers, Elsa continued to heal him as the hours of the night reeled on, full of thought and shadows of the future. The Queen racked her brain until she could barely think of anything but the Southern Prince, standing in the crow's nest, outlined by the ragged bloody-red of sunset.

Elsa's tired eyelids drooped one final time for the night. She knew no more.


	4. Plotting the Course

HANS

Pain grew slowly through his body as he woke, as deep-rooted as his sins. Feeble rays of light streamed through the diamond windowpane, falling on his body as gentle as a woman's touch. Yet dawn, though it brought warmth, also brought waking agony, especially in his left leg. Hans could not halt the groan that escaped from between his lips.

"Good morning to you as well, Prince Hans."

Immediately, his green eyes snapped open. Against the light from the window sat Elsa at the captain's desk, ripping out the tangles in her silver-white hair with the old captain's driftwood comb, a pained look on her face. She looked far from majestic and intimidating at the moment, but Hans knew better.

"I set your leg this morning," Elsa went on. "After I made sure it was clean as possible. Had to do a bit of improvisation with the splint, but it will do to heal."

Hans sat up slowly and looked down at his leg, which was wrapped with scraps of linen fabric and tied to a broken shard of plank. "You still look as bad as yesterday," Hans remarked snidely at Elsa, as he was not one for apologizing much. He covered quickly with, "Not half as bad as me."

"That is true," Queen Elsa put her comb down and ran her fingers through her silvery hair, her forearms milky, slender, and marble-smooth. "I've earned that bath, you know. And if I'm to help around the ship, I'd prefer feeling clean."

"I suppose you have earned a bath. Tell you what - you fill that tub full of water and I'll heat it up for you. Good as a bathhouse."

Grunting amusedly and giving him a look less icy than usual, Elsa dragged the tub next to the captain's bed and kept filling the tub with bucketfuls from the barrel. Once it was full enough, Elsa stood by the tub in her dingy favorite white nightgown, staring at him with an eyebrow cocked.

"One usually...disrobes...to bathe," Hans quipped.

"One usually has hot water to bathe in."

Nodding understandingly, Hans summoned the warmth to his hands till flames ran across his fingertips. Controlled as he could, he shot a stream of bright orange flame at the metal of the tub until the water boiled hot. Elsa watched, transfixed, even if she did still have to stomp out a bit of scorched carpet. On the whole, though, Hans found his trick successful.

"Impressive," Elsa noted. Seeing the glint in his eyes, the Queen utilized her powers as well to form a thick wall of ice between her bath and his bed, one laced with snowflake patterns. Then she undressed.

Hans laughed aloud. "You know I can still see you?"

"If blurred," Elsa replied casually as her bare figure, fuzzy through the ice, sunk into the bath.

"Tell me - does the water freeze when the Ice Queen bathes?"

"Only if you keep talking to me."

Hans obliged, giving, if begrudgingly, a moment of silence. He heard Elsa humming a tune softly as she bathed herself. "I've decided to keep the ship on course," she spoke at last, in her musical voice.

"You have?" Hans questioned, startled.

"For the time being."

"I - thank you."

"You must answer me a few questions first, Prince Hans."

"Anything you wish."

"How far to the nearest trading post? If we're to travel, we must be properly suited for our journey."

Hans ran his fingers through his thick ginger hair, then traced over the muscles of his bare stomach absentmindedly. "What supplies would you recommend?"

"Food. Fresh water. New clothes, since my entire wardrobe seems to have been forcibly removed from me. A crew."

"A crew?" Hans snorted. "I can man this ship fine all by myself."

"Oh yes, we saw how well that worked out." Elsa got out of the bath and wrapped herself in a fluffy white terrycloth towel, drying off behind the ice barrier. "One day of sailing and you manage to incapacitate yourself most spectacularly. We need a crew."

"It might prove an...inconvenience. For our money stores at the very least. I will think on it."

"Think all you like. I will have my crew. When will we reach the next trade port?"

"If I know these waters well enough - five days."

"Good. We can survive until then." The Queen of Arendelle stepped out from behind the curtain of ice wrapped in her towel. Steam rose off her bare shoulders, and her hair hung like a smooth silver waterfall down her back. Hans noticed he was staring at her entirely too much, and it took him a moment to restart his breathing. If Elsa took note of him watching, she was certainly good at ignoring it. She padded across the carpet to sift through the clothes trunk at the foot of the captain's bed and find some suitable garb before she returned behind her ice wall to change. When she emerged, the Queen wore tan breeches, a loose white shirt, and a thick black cloak.

"This ship seems to have a remarkable shortage of dresses. Oh well. I shall borrow your boots for today's duties," Elsa said, taking Hans' knee-high black boots from beside the bed and pulling them on clumsily. "My God - you have unbearably big feet."

"Stuff some socks in there, you'll be fine."

Sneering at him, she drew her hair up into a tight bun with nimble fingers. "I'll feed Sitron and keep the ship on course. My father had enough experience with...ships. I will bring you your supper tonight. Tomorrow I will get you on deck and you will train me."

"Train Her Majesty? What in?"

"Combat. Physical combat. Your skills in it far surpass mine. Though I might help you to control your power...your form is atrocious. I will see you on deck tomorrow, around noon."

"Mayhap we will swap stories? I've told you one. It's time you told me yours."

"If you train me well enough. They will be rewards, a trade-off of sorts. Now I'm off to feed that giant horse of yours." Elsa was almost to the door when she stopped and looked at the man in the captain's bed. "Why are you smiling?"

"You're very blunt. I'm not used to taking orders from women before."

"I'm used to giving orders and having them carried out, Prince Hans," Elsa told the grinning young Prince. "Get used to it."

ANNA

Anna sat on the throne of Arendelle, crown cutting into her scalp and brow uncomfortably. She'd listened to pleas from the unfortunate villagers who had lost much in the fire all day now. Many lost professions, while others lost lives of loved ones and begged for recompense. Arendelle lost much in the fire, and the loss of Queen Elsa tore the city like a bloody wound.

Anna announced the disappearance of the Queen just yesterday. After she'd realized her responsibility in the small hours of the morning, the Princess decreed a town gathering at noon in the city square. Soon Anna paced out on the balcony to overlook them, quaking like a leaf. The citizens packed like sardines in the square around the fountain, a thousand eyes all on her. She announced her sister's absence through cold lips and felt the sorrow exude from the crowd. Anna told them to stay calm. Anna told them they would repair. Anna told them they would retrieve Elsa, dead or alive. And as she went through the steps of the quick coronation ceremony on the balcony before the city, Anna knew it would take more will to convince herself of her words.

The new Queen hadn't slept well at all sorting through papers that barely made sense to her. Advisors came and went, telling her what to do, but there were so many of them that she barely knew who to listen to. Olaf aided Kristoff and Sven as they helped rebuild the city. How she missed her friends - she hadn't checked in with them in two whole days.

Anna sat up straighter in her throne, a single strand of ginger hair falling from the braided bun Dorothy had fixed up for her. That's what she would do. After this court hearing - she'd been at court all day and heard nearly 200 claims - she would go to see Kristoff. Royal affairs were dull, and he would certainly see her through them. Anna brushed her hair out of her face, containing her warm bit of hope.

"The mast knocked our straw roof right in, Your Majesty," the small bald man before her exclaimed. "We don't have a house no more, and my wife Greta and I already have three mouths to feed besides our own. Winter is over, but times are still hard."

"They're hard on all of us, good sir," Queen Anna replied. It was at times like this that Anna wished she had a power like Elsa's - preferably one of invisibility. "I will allow you one hundred gold coins from our royal coffers. That should sustain you and your family for now. Advisor, write him a note He is in debt to the crown until all has been repaid, but for now he may take his gold."

"How might you suggest we repay?" questioned the man's shrivelled wife, Greta. "Arendelle is built on ships, and all our ships are gone! How will you solve this?"

"I am counseling with my advisors for the safest plan of action. I will fix this city, if it's the last thing I do." Anna forced down the oddly-timed lump that rose in her throat. "Court is dismissed. I have more duties I must attend to before the day is out."

As her economic advisor pressed the loan paper to the bald man's chest, Anna could not avoid feeling plunging guilt when Greta's contemptuous black eyes pierced her. _By God - I'm only a girl. What would you have me do? _Anna thought, sweeping out of her throne room and heading to the stables. One of the grooms saddled up a bay mare for her, so she rode out in all her royal finery to the docks.

Destruction ravaged Arendelle. Even the reaches farthest from the docks had caught fire. One third of the marketplace was burnt, and citizens looked up to watch their replacement Queen ride by. Anna saw various sights along the way: various families sweeping the blackened wood out of the streets, children fighting over burnt toys, dogs wandering across the cobblestones, searching for scraps of food. These sights fascinated her, yet frightened her to the core. The most appalling sight on Anna's venture was that of a man who'd had half his face burnt; he stared at her through the milky orb of his one sightless eye. This desperately made Anna wish she had her big sister.

Finally, the young Queen reined in at the docks. This area was the most hard-hit of all of Arendelle. Blackened hulls of ships floated in the harbor, like dead things in the water. Citizens milled about, none of them without ashes and soot on their shoulders, in their hair, everywhere.

Anna's gaze caught Kristoff instantly, and she could certainly not look away.

Sven was attached to a cart that carried an immense amount of rubble. Kristoff was attached to a harness of his own, as were all the men around him, as they pulled the scorched roof off the tavern. They strained against their ropes, muscles screaming under smudges of soot and dirt. Kristoff, clenching his jaw like some massive blond bull, pulled his yoke the hardest of all. A resounding crack broke the air, and the roof came off, landing on the cobblestones in a cloud of charred wood and ash. The men unharnessed themselves and set about to breaking it down. As he loosed himself, Kristoff looked up to see his new Queen.

"Anna! - I mean, your Highness," Kristoff panted awkwardly as he tried to recover his breath from his job and bow at the same time. Others who had pulled with Kristoff stared at Anna and whispered to each other.

"I would like to speak with you. Alone, please," she commanded. After Kristoff nodded, Anna dismounted her horse and handed her friend the reins. "Walk with me."

The couple wandered down the smoggy docks to a less crowded area. Whispers faded, and the soot-streaked shadows behind them resumed their work, piling rubble into Sven's cart.

"I need to remember to call you Your Highness, not Anna," Kristoff chuckled to himself, stroking the bay mare's long nose. "This is all so odd. But Olaf and Sven seem to be doing alright." Kristoff gestured to Olaf, a little farther down the docks. The plump snowman handed out apples from his basket to working families along his way. Anna smiled, but it only served to make her lips cold.

"I don't know how Elsa does it," she spoke in a breathless, grinning exhale.

"Does what?"

"Rule. It's so fast and there's so much to take in...my rear end is sore from falling asleep on that throne every hour." Her deliriousness of laughter covered her darker points. "No wonder she snapped at me the night before she disappeared. It's not a ball to be a good ruler. And with her having powers like she did...I wouldn't be surprised if I accidentally froze all of Arendelle the first day I was coronated too."

Taking Anna gently by her arm, Kristoff led her in a quiet alleyway. "You know you can do this, Anna. I know you can."

"There's so much to do!" the new Queen exclaimed. Her blue eyes stung as a blast of cold air flushed over her, and Anna took off her crown, holding it in her grasp"Hundreds of people are depending on me, and I have no idea how to fix this city."

"We do it one step at a time," Kristoff counseled, caressing her shoulder. "I'll help the people with my strength, you help them with your authority. You are kind and intelligent, and I know you will find a way."

Tears broke from her eyes and rolled hot down her cheeks. "I miss my sister, Kristoff...I miss Elsa, and I don't know what I'm going to do without her…"  
In a tender motion, Kristoff encircled Anna in his strong arms and held her close, pressing his warm lips to her freckled forehead. "You will succeed. I believe in you. And I know wherever Elsa is, she believes in you too." The ice-cutter's callused hands brushed hers and took her crown to nestle it again amongst the red hair on her head. Anna took his hand once he was done and pressed her cheek into it.

"You're so good to me," she murmured. "If we're going to save Arendelle, I'm going to need you to help me."

"In anything you wish, Your Highness."

Looking up into Kristoff's chocolate-colored comforting eyes, Anna said it.

"We must go and see the trolls."


	5. Learning to Live

ANNA

She could see Kristoff was enthralled to see the trolls again.

Of course, before the Queen ventured off, the two of them had to return to the castle to stock up on gifts for his large small-statured family. With Anna's blessing, Kristoff loaded up his new sled with a basket of wooden toys for the baby trolls, cheeses, brown bread, and fat sunny oranges in crates for all. Tradition to treat with the trolls stated the persons requesting favor should bring the tribe a generous gift for the discussion. This feast was no payment for the favor, though. Those persons wishing for a favor would receive another compromise from the trolls for that.

From the castle, Anna brought two thick woolen blankets she and Kristoff could lay over their laps for the ride there. Her outfit was humble for a Queen (apart from the crown encircling her brow), made of linens and fabrics just above the level of being coarse. Anna thought it in bad taste for royalty to flaunt their riches whilst the city starved. As she rode down the cobblestones, she remembered her mother had told her that once long ago.

The ice-cutter and the Queen rode down the forest path to the trolls, pulled by Anna's sweet bay mare, Ginger. As the sled flew along on its fluted, smooth skates, Anna lifted her chilled face to the clear blue sky that reminded her of the hue of Elsa's eyes. Two black birds circled each other above, riding high on a thermal. _Are those birds mates?_ Anna wondered. _Have they made a _nest? She gave a quick glance at Kristoff, then looked back at the birds. Or are they sisters? Perhaps those birds are just like Elsa and I. Maybe they are just learning how to fly. Out of the corner of her green eyes, Anna saw Kristoff watching her, his head tilted with the slight of concern. Holding the reins in one hand, Kristoff reached across the wooden bench between them, as if to offer his comfort. Anna slid her hand next to his in response, just enough to allow contact.

They rode the rest of the way like this. Their eyes stared straight ahead, but their fingers were locked into each other's.

Upon arriving at the quarry, Kristoff reined up Ginger and hopped out of the sled. "Hallo, everyone! Up, up, up! This son of a reindeer is HOME!"

Like so many woodlice popping out of their balls, all the trolls exploded into life, whooping and hugging Kristoff around the legs. Anna couldn't help breaking into a wide grin as the tribe took notice of her and enveloped her in embraces, peppered with squeals of delight and kisses.

"My dear! So good to see you again!" exclaimed Bulda, stroking Anna's ginger locks with a maternal affection. "You look well! We have heard of your sister's loss here, and we are sorry for it all."

"Trolls have ears everywhere," Kristoff murmured before a baby troll nearly strangled him in an attempt to get a piggyback ride.

"Thank you for your consolations," Anna spoke. "We've brought gifts for you all. If you take off those barrels and crates off our sled, they are all yours!"

The entire tribe squealed with glee as they cracked open crates of oranges, rolled off wheels of cheese, and passed wooden toys off to the little ones. Through the gleeful mass strode the Chief, Pabbie, his eyes fixed on the new Queen.

"Typically, one offers the Chieftain the offering," he spoke with a slight, amused smile. "You wish to treat, no?"

Anna flushed cherry-red. "I - I'm so sorry, sir. I'm not all too good with diplomacy."

"It's quite alright, Your Majesty. I wanted to let you know for next time. Our tribe is lenient on the rules, but we still pride ourselves in tradition."

"O - Of course. Now - is there a place we may negotiate?"

Chief Pabbie motioned across the rock circle. "My tent would be best. Come."

Crossing the quarry to the Chief's tent of moss draped over the branch of a massive tree, Anna walked next to Kristoff and glanced behind her as Bulda showed the tribe how to feed Ginger hay properly. The new Queen knew she had a duty to perform, but what fun she could be having! Anna kept Elsa in her head to remind her of her royal responsibility and pressed closer to Kristoff. Reacting, Kristoff reached over and gave her hand a quick, reassuring squeeze. It was enough to keep her going.

In the moss tent sat a circle of fat grey rocks as a conference spot. "My apologies for the uncomfortable seating. At least they are not trolls, but real rocks," Pabbie explained.

Kristoff chuckled warmly from the back of his throat. "We appreciate your lodgings, good Chief. Anna has requested I bring her here to outline a proposal."

"Oh?" the Chief mused.

"Yes," Anna broke in, her voice tremulous. "We need help rebuilding our city after the fires destroyed our docks and all our ships. Arendelle has thrived on trade, and now we require a helping hand to guide us to getting our economy back on track."

"Our tribe's size should provide a considerable amount of manpower," Pabbie muttered. "Though our association with humans is extremely limited. Working with the citizens would give them more of a shock than if unicorns started pulling their sleds."

"Your numbers would help us, though," Kristoff said. "And what magical properties you have we could duly use."

"But...maybe we should not rely on the old way," Anna thought aloud. "Arendelle has been a trade nation, leaving us dependent on many other countries. Perhaps we should become independent before we rebuild our fleet. Self-sustainability."

"Your Majesty," Kristoff noted, "if Hans has taken Elsa across the sea, we should sorely delay our retrieving her by following this new course of action."

Anna swallowed a lump that rose in her throat. "A Queen must provide for her people, not save up woes for her own personal indulgence." She ignored Kristoff's face after this, and looked at the Chief's, which was crossed with sympathy but willing to continue. From his marvelous head dress, he pulled one of his glittering yellow crystals.

"These crystals we trolls possess are extremely valuable and showcase our social standing," Pabbie went on. "Males wear blue and green crystals, while females wear pink and red. They are very important in our culture, so I know humans would value them even more."

"Crystal-mining," Anna breathed.

"Of course, these crystals would have to be passed through the trolls first to remove - ah - impurities." The Chief tapped his glowing yellow crystal. "Magic, I mean."

"We could develop a system where we trolls mine the source, clean them of harmful magic, and sell them to humans. And we trolls could teach those Arendelle citizens to farm so they would trade us food for crystals," Pabbie stated. "We are a humble people, we trolls. We need no riches to tide us over - but food is something we sorely need, and humans are fit for the job."

"You give us luxuries as we give you necessities," Anna piped in, remembering trade lessons her father had taught her.

"This is a gracious offer, my Chief," Kristoff said. "We will follow up this offer with a monthly stipend of - one cartload of goods for the tribe every month, much like the load we brought in today. I will lead the labor forces as well."

Pabbie raised a hand. "One thing more. We trolls must be integrated into proper society if we are to deal with humans. Humans are a frightened lot, and I will not have any of my tribe abused or otherwise taken advantage of."

"I will integrate the trolls into Arendelle," Anna proposed. "I will set up a special force to protect your tribe. Serious consequences will follow the actions of any people who wish to hurt the trolls."

The Chief stood. "Then we have reached a deal. Our crystals and farming skills in exchange for food, a monthly gift-offering, and protection in the city. You make an excellent team, my Kristoff, my beautiful Queen."  
Anna flushed and embraced Pabbie. "We thank you, my Chief, for this agreement. I will serve you well."

"I doubt it nothing. Return to Arendelle, you two. We will join you in two days, so have your city prepared."

After bowing, Kristoff and Anna left the tent to stride back to the empty cart. Once all the goodbyes were said and Ginger was able to make it into the forest, Anna, elated, grasped Kristoff's hand and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "It seems the future may be a little brighter!" she chirped.

The birds above them whirled high into the sky.

ELSA

Sweat dripped past Elsa's eyes. "I think I've done a sufficient job of killing the mast today, Prince Hans!"

It was two hours past noon. Hans sat on a barrel, nursing his left leg and watching her with amusement as he munched on a ration of hardtack she'd allowed him. He'd instructed her to hack at the mast 100 times forehand and 100 times backhand, and now the sturdy mast was covered in ugly-looking cuts. Elsa had torn off her black coat and now only wore her shirt, breeches, and boots.

"Practice makes perfect, My Queen," Hans mustered between bites. "Doesn't it feel liberating for your arms to grow stronger every day?"

The Queen raged with pain in her upper arms as she sliced at the mast again, pretending it was Hans. "It feels like shit."

"At first. But it gets better, I promise."

Whirling on her heel, the exhausted Ice Queen let the sword clatter to the ground. "There, I've done your little exercise. When will I learn real fighting? I'm sure most of my enemies will not be made of wood."

"You will learn real fighting when I can use this leg again. Then I'll challenge you. For the time being, I am lame and you must hack at my wooden counterpart here."

Elsa rolled up her sleeves and used one sleeve to wipe the sweat from her forehead. "I suppose now it's my time to return the favor, eh? It seems to be lesson time for Hans."  
The Prince sat up in interest. "Indeed it is, My Queen. I look forward to what you desire to teach me."

Regaining her breath, Elsa summoned her ice powers between her fingers to create a thin, deadly dart of ice, slender, small, and sharp. Without another word, she sent it whizzing through the air straight towards Hans's face.

Bellowing in surprise, Hans rocked backwards. A cloud of flame appeared defensively before his face, enveloping the dart, which heated so quickly it evaporated into thin air. Unfortunately, this fire had caught his shirt and barrel aflame as well, so Hans lost his balance and toppled backwards off the barrel, ripping off his shirt in a panic. His gleaming green eyes shot up to Elsa as she approached him cooly, a cruel smile on her lips.

"What was that for?" the Prince growled. "Things would be a lot better around here if you weren't trying to kill me!"

"Your technique is sloppy, as you just painfully demonstrated," Elsa sighed. "It seems, though that your magic is instinctual, not learned, or that dart would have gone straight through your eye. Do not fret, Prince Hans, I wouldn't have killed you...only partially blinded you, that's all." The Queen did not know where this talk was coming from, as she seemed to be losing her insecure self hour by hour out on his open sea with her captive Prince.

"I was born with my power," Hans told her, stumbling to his feet and sitting on the barrel once again, his bare torso heaving. "Or so I've been told. Ever since I was a young boy, my father forced me to wear gloves so I'd never accidentally display my magic. Serious consequences came from even lighting a candle with my fingertip."

A shiver ran down Elsa's spine. It was hauntingly familiar what Hans's had gone through and her own experience. "I too had a...similar childhood," she said slowly.

"I don't know if I was born with the power or...or cursed with it," Hans went on. "But I've had it ever since I could remember, and I...it's been one of the few consistencies in my life."

The Ice Queen stood next to Hans's, her face outlined by the sun. "If you help me fight, Hans," she whispered, "I will help you hone your power. It will be no sickness any longer. It will be your tool, your skill, your talent. I can show you, and I will."

Hans looked up at her with a sort of deep longing. "Show me."

"We shall start with accuracy," she instruction, creating a small flurry of snowflakes in her palm. "Shoot these down for me." One by one, Elsa commanded the snowflakes flutter up high into the air.

Drawing his hand back and throwing it forward, Hans unleashed a barrage of lines of fire. Out of the hundreds of snowflakes dancing in the air, only three were reached by Hans's flame attack and dissolved. The Prince growled in frustration.

"We shall make bigger targets for you, then." Elsa altered the snowflakes into hands into tiny birds made of snow. With an icy flourish, she tossed them into the air. "Focus on one at a time."

Setting his sights on one bird, Hans hit it straight on with his flame, then moved onto another. After he became comfortable with this, he shot a streak of fire from his fingertips that split into two and brought down two of the frosty creatures. The Ice Queen watched him with a mixture of pride and concern.

"A good target practice, my Queen," Hans grinned. "I think I'm getting better every shot."

"You must control your power," Elsa replied sharply. "Now that it is out of its cage, you cannot let it run rampant. You must keep your magic on a leash. It is, Prince Hans, a dance between wills."

Conjuring a blinding-white aura in her hands, Elsa threw her confection up into the air and spun across the deck swiftly. The snow fell around her and played about her slender, bare forearms, as if entranced by her flesh. The Ice Queen moved as if to some rhythm, making the flurry in the air turn faster and faster. Soon, it spun around her in a whirlwind, winds sucked from the sky, playing at her clothes and ripping her silver hair out of its bun. Hans's vision of her grew fainter and fainter through the whirlwind, until all he could see was her blurred figure and the glowing blue of her eyes cutting through the spinning grey.

Inside the tornado, Elsa's mind struggled for control. In the midst of the tempest, she felt a sort of weightlessness, and when she looked down, her feet were an inch of the ground.

Quickly dispelling her storm-conjuring, Elsa sent the storm over the left side of the ship, which nearly took her off with its heavy winds. The two watched as her tornado became a whirlpool, which sucked on the side of their ship momentarily before vanishing, sliding deep into the dark-green depths. Elsa looked back at Hans, who watched her with immense interest and a touch of scorn. She'd nearly lost control there.

And one wonders why they call us freaks, Elsa thought to herself.

"I will teach you more target practice tomorrow," the Ice Queen announced, drawing her hair up tight again; she hated looking unruly before him.

"You...you can create animation," Hans observed.

"Yes, I can. I've created Olaf and numerous other creatures before."

"You can create life with your magic, then?"

"What is it to you?"

"If you can teach me how to do that with my magic...I will do many things for you, My Queen."

A smile touched the corners of Elsa's mouth. "I like the sound of that."

"Of all the things I'll do for you?"

"No. Of you calling me your Queen."

Hans curdled. "Keep in mind I won't call you it long if your instructions don't work."

"If my instructions don't work, that's entirely your fault," Elsa clipped. "I teach only those willing to be open to my teaching."

"So you will teach me?"

"Tomorrow we continue target practice as planned," the Queen said. "Then I will teach you the art of life."


End file.
